The present invention relates to programming a wireless telephone. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for automatically programming a wireless telephone with a telephone number such as a voice mail system access telephone number.
Currently, a wireless telephone requires activation before the wireless telephone may be used to initiate and receive telephone calls within a wireless telephone network. Over the air activation (OAA) is one known example of a method for activating a wireless telephone. In accordance with OAA, a wireless telephone customer first uses a wired telephone connected to a network such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to complete a telephone call to a wireless telephone service provider. A representative for the wireless telephone service provider then prompts the customer for identification information. Upon authenticating the received identification information, the representative then instructs the customer to xe2x80x9cturn onxe2x80x9d the wireless telephone. Once the customer turns the wireless telephone on, the representative initiates a sequence of events which results in the wireless telephone service provider transmitting activation information through the air (in a known manner, for example, from a base station within the service provider""s wireless telephone network) to the wireless telephone. This activation information may include, for example, an intelligent roaming database (IRDB) which enables the wireless telephone to select proper channels during operation, a mobile identification number (MIN) which represents the wireless telephone""s newly assigned telephone number, an authentication number, and data which enables the wireless telephone to implement specific services previously selected by the customer. Once the activation information is received by the wireless telephone, the wireless telephone is active and may function to initiate and receive calls. One of the services frequently chosen by wireless telephone customers is voice mail. Voice mail enables callers to leave voice messages for the wireless telephone customer when the wireless customer is unavailable to answer a telephone call completed to the wireless telephone. To dial into the voice mail system and check for voice mail messages, the wireless telephone customer typically dials the MIN assigned to their wireless telephone by sequentially depressing a button (on the wireless telephone""s keypad) corresponding to each digit in the MIN.
To simplify the process of dialing into the voice mail system, many wireless telephone customers manually program the MIN into their wireless telephone upon receiving the MIN during OAA. The programming steps typically entail: 1) placing the wireless telephone in a program mode, 2) selecting a memory storage location within the wireless telephone, 3) storing the MIN within the selected memory storage location by sequentially depressing a telephone keypad button which corresponds to each digit within the MIN, and 4) removing the wireless telephone from the program mode. Once the wireless telephone is programmed with the MIN, the customer may dial the MIN to access the voice mail system by depressing a fewer number of telephone keypad buttons (typically one) than the number of telephone keypad buttons corresponding to each digit in the MIN.
Unfortunately, the manual method for programming a MIN into a wireless telephone has a few drawbacks. First, the steps required to program a wireless telephone with a telephone number may not be easily implemented by the telephone customer. In addition, the telephone customer may make mistakes while programming the telephone number into the wireless telephone. As a result of these mistakes, the wrong number may be programmed into the wireless telephone""s memory.
Thus, a need exists for a technique which automates the process of programming a wireless telephone with a voice mail system access telephone number.
The present invention provides a method for automatically programming a wireless telephone with a voice mail system access telephone number. When the voice mail system access telephone number is received by the wireless telephone, software within the wireless telephone automatically stores the received voice mail system access telephone number within a wireless telephone memory location.